Fire-lighting device



[Dern 13,1927. 1,652,258 v H. STIELER l uns LIGHTING vsvrcs Filed latchv23. 1926 figa '15 such fire lighters,

Patented Dec. l3, 1927.

HEINRICH STELER, OF FBANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

FIRE-LIGHTING DEVICE.

Application led March 23, 1926, Serial No. 96,829, and in Germany March26, 1925.

Fire lighters consisting of waste material from the timber industry, orpeat soaked or mixed with resins or tar or like readily combustiblevsubstances all have the disadvantage, that they develop large quantitiesof soot when burning on the grate. More particularly in furnaces, whenfiring uplocomotves and the like, where lire lighters of considerablesize are required, the formationfef soot is found to be exceedinglydetrimental, as the soot adheres for instance to the smoke tubes andadversely affects the full utilization of .the heat. A furtherdisadvantage is, that with coal can only be lighted slowly, while it isdifficult to light coke and anthracite at all with such fire lighters,if they are simply laid on the grat-e under the coal in the usual mannerand lighted.

The inventor has succeeded in overcoming these drawbacks, by notintroducing the fire lighters, as has been done heretofore, simply intothe furnace space and lighting them there, but by burning them by meansof a special device, in which a sufficient quantity of air is suppliedto the re lighter in such a manner that the formation of soot isprevented and complete lcombustion taires place. vlhe new apparatus ispreferably made so as to be portable and of such a shape as to be easilyintroduced through the tire door into the fire space. The formation ofsoot may be prevented, for instance by air being blown, for instancethrough nozzles, against 25 the front surface of the fire lighter whichis placed in a stort of combustion chamber, such that the smoke producedduring combustion is forced back into the combustion chamber and iscaused to be completely s@ burned. Provision may also be made, forinstance by completely enveloping the fire light-er with air or byrepeatedly introducing air at points in the combustion chamber. lyingone behind the other, or at the outlet of the same, for completelyburning the iialres of soot. The fine flame produced in the kmannerreferred to suiices for igniting any kind of coal.

The air may be supplied for instance through a movable pipe, forinstance connected pivotally to the combustion chamber, or throughiiexible metal tubing, which enables the combustion chamber to be placedat any suitable point of the grate. The stream of air may for instancebetaken from an air compressor or a compressed air bottle or be the caseof large industrial delivered by a small device acting in the manner ofa blower, which is connected to p the air supply pipe or to theapparatus itself and may for instance be driven elec-v trically. Inplace of air oxygen or a mixturl of atmospheric air and oxygen may beuse In the accompanying drawings one of the many possible constructionalexamples of thel invention is shown.

Fig. 1 shows a modified form of the combustion chamber of a tubularapparatus in section,

Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus with the damper open after the firelighter has been burned, and

Fig. 3 shows the whole apparatus illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

In the arrangement shown in the annexed drawings a grate 24 is providedin the chamber 23, on which the lighter 25 is placed through the frontopening in the chamber, the grate 24 being pressed down, the hook 26forced back and the damper 27 beingl pushed into the position shown inFig. l. With the parts in this position the projection or cam 28 on theextension 29 of the grate which is pivoted at 30 rests against the lowerend of the damper 27.

The combustion air is produced for In stance by the fan 3l which may beconnected directly to the apparatus by the pipes 32 andv 33. The pipe 33may be connected at 34 tov the apparatus'by means of a cylindrical orconical joint. The air entering the forward part 35 of the chamber lyingbehind the damper passes through the openings 36 into the space betweenthe outer casing 37 and the casing 38 of the combustion chamber andflows out through the annular nozzles 39 and 40. Nozzle apertures 41 mayalso be provided in the front part of the combustion chamber, from whichthe air will enter the interior of the combustion chamber, for instancein the form of a screen, which places itself in front of the lirelighter.

When the lire lighter has burned away, the grate 24 will no longer beloaded and will rise under the action of the counterpoise 4:2. Thedamper will be released by this means, so as to be free to turn underthe pressure of the stream of air into the position shown in Fig. 2. Theair is now free to pass through the combustion chamber and, after therest of the lire lighter has been consumed, acts as an additional streamof air for assisting the coal which has been lighted to be set burningthoroughly'.

The outer casing in the example just described is made in the shape of aroof, for protecting the combustion chamber, when coal is thrown on thetire while the lighter is in action.` This form of outer casing alsofacilitates the withdrawal of the apparatus from the heap of coal. Inthe tunnel formed in this manner the jet-shaped flame or the air fromthe fan can be particularly elective.

The constructional forms described are only given by way of example andmany modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of theinvention, for instance by changing the shape of the casing, thearrangement of the nozzles, modifications ofthe movable and additionalparts, such as the grate, the damper, the outer casing, the gilans forproducing the air supply and the What I claim is:

1. A device for li hting fires, including a .casing for the reception ofa tire lighter, and means for supplying compressed air to said casingduring burnin of a fire lighter in such quantity and so istributed as toellect complete combustion of smoke, a damper controlling passage of airthrough the air supply means, means vfor retaining said damper in closedposition, and means actuated during the progress of the consumption ofire lighter for releasing and permitting said damper to open.

2. A device for lighting lire-s, including a casing for the reception ofa lire lighter, and means for supplying compressed air to said casingduring burning of a tire lighter in such quantity and so distributed asto eect complete combustion of smoke, and an outer casing receiving theiirst mentioned casing and adapted to receive air.

3. A device for lighting lires, including a casing for the reception ofa lire lighter, and means' for supplying compressed air to said casingduring burning of a lire lighter in such quantity and so distributed asto effect complete combustion of smoke, and an outer casing receivingthe first mentioned casing and adapted to receive air, said outer casingbeing connected with the air supply means.

. 4. A device for lighting lires, including a' casing for the receptionof a tire lighter, and means for supplying com ressed air to said casingduring burning o a re' lighter in such quantity and so distributed as toei'ect complete combustion of smoke, a damper in said air supply means,a counter balanced grate in said receptacle for supporting a tirelighter, and means on said grate for releasably holding said damper inclosed position.

5. A device for lighting fires by'combus.-

v tion of ire lighters with compressed air comprising avmain airconduit, a ball joint on said conduit, an a1r conductlng tube attachedto said ball joint, a casing attached to said V tube, a box for thereception of the lire lrindler connected to said airtube and arranged insaid casing in such a manner that there is a space between the walls ofsaid box and those of said casing, means to lead air from said tube intothe space between said box and said casing and means to bring air intocontact with the products of combustion a casing attached to said tube,a box for the reception of the tire kindler connected to said air tubeand arranged in said casing in such a manner that there is a spacebetween the walls of said box and those of said casing and means tobring air into, contact with the products of combustion leaving saidbox.

7. A device for lighting lires by combustion of lire lighters withcompressed air comprising an air conducting tube, a casing attached tosaid tube, a box for the reception of the lire kindler connected to saidair tube and arranged in said casing in such a manner that there is aspace between the walls of said casing and said box, a damper in saidbox in front of the exit of said air tube, openings in the V,walls ofsaid box between said damper and said tube, a movable grate in said box,means to control said damper by saidmovable grate and means to bring airinto contact with leaving said box.

8. A device for lighting fires by combustion of tire lighters withcompressed air comprising an air conducting tube, a box for thereception of the fire kindler connected to said tube, a damper in saidbox, a grate pivotally arranged in said box, an extension on said grate,a weight on said extension. a projectionon said extension engagingthrough the box with said damper, openings in the walls of said boxbetween said air tube and said damper, a roof-like casing attached tosaid air tube and surrounding the box in such a manner that there is aspace between box and casing and means to bring fresh air into contactwith the products of combustion leaving said box. A

In testimony whereof I have signed my y name to this specification.

HEINRICH STIIGLER.

the products of combustion

